A List of Faculty Issues in Higher Education: A Great Resource for University Administrators and Faculty

As a tenured-faculty member, I am always excited about mentoring new faculty (especially women and new faculty of color). This mentoring relationship is always great for me because I had such wonderful mentors (both faculty and staff) when persisting through the tenure-track process.

This mentoring relationship is very important for tenure-track and tenured faculty who are seeking to become a full-professor. (This is another journey through which I am persisting right now.) Tenure-track and tenured-faculty (especially women and faculty of color) encounter along the journey towards their goals:

Here are some of the current issues and resources for individuals tied to faculty affairs roles at universities and colleges in the United States:

Current Issues focused on Faculty Affairs:

- The growing number of women and people of color in faculty positions.

- Faculty and work-life balance.

- Stopping the tenure clock for faculty who are pregnant or who are new or adoptive mothers (or fathers).

- Faculty retirement and retirement plans.

- Faculty workplace flexibility.

- Faculty involvement on universities committees and work groups.

- Faculty compensation and merit pay.

- Faculty workload (balancing researching, teaching and service).

- Part-time and adjunct faculty workload.

- Faculty Orientation

- Faculty Training 

- Faculty and External Fundraising and Grantsmanship Activities

- Faculty Recognition

- Faculty Recruitment and Retention

- Faculty Workplace Satisfaction

Faculty Affairs Resources:

- Faculty Issues: A Resource by the American Council on Education

- Giving "Voice to Faculty"

- Policy Matters" Faculty Trends and Issues (A Resource from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities - AASCU)

- Analyses of Faculty Issues

- Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (A Resource from Harvard's Graduate School of Education)

- Common New Faculty Issues and Solutions (Rochester Institute of Technology)

Please feel free to tweet, share, and comment below! Let me know if I missed something from the list!

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

@drjtedwards

Student Success Seminars for Student Success and Retention

I am always on the lookout for new student success programs and services that would benefit universities in Texas. Each week, I receive a notification when a new program or service is featured in the press and this one really caught my eye!

The article "Student Success Seminars Aim to Motivate Students" is focused on student success seminars (not just workshops) focusing on different interventions to help students succeed in their coursework and in their life at the university. This is a neat approach focused on the "total student" both in their academic life and in their extra curricular life.

These are some of the topics featured in their series: App Academy, Chill Out, and my favorite "Finish in Four: 640 Days". This is absolutely a neat, informational approach for universities that I look forward to replicating!

Sincerely,

@drjtedwards

Call for Attendees and Proposals - Cisco College Core Curriculum Conference (C5)

Here's a neat opportunity from Texas-based Cisco College!

Cisco College Core Curriculum Conference (C5)

  

Cisco College will again host a conference in the Spring of 2015 dedicated to faculty members and their classrooms, providing educators with a chance to come together and share successful teaching strategies.

 

The Cisco College Core Curriculum Conference is pleased to invite proposals that illustrate best classroom practices and innovative teaching techniques related to the following areas:

 Critical Thinking

 Communication Skills

 Empirical & Quantitative Skills

 Teamwork

 Social Responsibility

 Personal Responsibility

 Assessing the (New) Core

The conference will be held May 21 & 22, 2015, at Cisco College’s Abilene Educational Center in Abilene, Texas. 

The goal of the conference is to provide faculty members with as many learning opportunities as possible to expand their knowledge of teaching techniques. Although faculty members from all public two-year and four-year institutions are welcome to attend, the conference will focus on the special budgetary restrictions and practical needs of faculty at community colleges in Texas.

Conference flyer and registration form are attached.

--

Debra Slaton

Chair, Dev. Studies & Education

Cisco College

101 College Heights

Cisco, TX  76437

254-442-5187 Cisco       325-794-4505 Abilene

Fax:  254-442-5100/Attention: Debra Slaton

Dream  big......work hard!!

The Smart Choice for Your Future!                   

What Does Your #HigherEd Handwriting Say About You?

I am a HEAVY writer and my print is bold and wide. Look at the infographic listed below. How do you think the faculty, staff, students, administrators, and staff perceive your writing? Perceptions exist, but it is always great to know about potential perceptions ahead of time.

Sincerely - @drjtedwardsTSU